Isolation of My Heart
by Umbreonite
Summary: Red is surprised to find out that his old rival wants to become friends once more, but before he can respond, Red is whisked away to the top of mount silver. What about these odd emotions he feels when he thinks of his old friend, Green? Will Red be able to stand his isolation on that cold mountain without distractions from his own true feelings?
1. Chapter 1

Author note: Hey everyone! This is my first FanFic, so any feedback is GREATLY appreciated, any at all. I'm sorry for my crappy writing too, it isn't the best. Also, I think I should warn you that some chapters, much like this one, aren't the most thrilling. This one especially since I had to introduce everything, and all the back stories and stuff. Well, next time it'll get better I promise!

Disclaimer: I do not own, or have any share or part of the Pokémon franchise. This is a work of fiction based off of the franchise; however it is not being sold commercially and is only there for the use and enjoyment of fans such as myself. Thank you.

Isolation

Chapter 1

_The grass rustled in front of the two little boys. They looked at each other with excitement, their faces glowing in the setting sun. Hand in hand, they squatted down to get a better look. They might not be allowed to go in, but being close was allowed. At least, that's what they believed. _

_Finally, their anticipation wore off as a tiny purple head poked out of the long stalks in front of them. "Tata!" the Pokémon cried in surprised before scurrying away again. The two boys laughed at its reaction before getting up. Without letting go, they walked back into their sleepy town. _

"_Can you believe it?" The black haired boy said, "We actually saw a Pokémon! One day, I am going to be the best Pokémon trainer out there!"_

_Grinning at his friend's excitement, the other boy, this one with brown hair, responded. "And what am I gonna be then?"_

"_You can be my sidekick!" The black haired boy responded, his eyes lighting up at the thought. "That way, we would never be apart."_

"_I'm not anyone's sidekick! You'll be my sidekick, how about that?" The brown haired boy gave his friend a small push, just enough to upset his balance, without knocking him over. _

"_Hey! Never in a million trillion years!" The black haired boy shoved back, before running away, avoiding his counterparts retaliation. Together, the two boys laughed, yelled, and ran, the setting sun illuminating their backs._

I slowly opened my eyes to see the sun streaming in to my room. The soft glow told me it was still very early in the morning. To my surprise, I felt wetness on my cheeks, and I knew I had been crying again. Why was it always that dream that came to me when I finally fell asleep? Why did I find myself crying every time I awoke? It was just _him. _There wasn't even anything special about him. Why was he haunting my memories and dreams?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I would never be able to answer those questions, so I decided I might as well get up and do something worthwhile. Pushing all my wonderings to the very back of my head, I got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower. I had to be ready for today; I couldn't let myself get distracted.

Today, the Kanto league chairman was coming to give me a quick visit and checkup. It had been a month since I finally reached my goal of becoming the champion, the strongest trainer.

I can still remember my crowning moment, when Green's Blastiose finally went down with the help my best friend, Pikachu. I remember the crowd roaring out in excitement, congratulating me on my win. I also remembered the look of disappointment and hate that crossed Green's face, and I remember the feeling in my chest that stopped my lungs from working. _It's just the excitement_, I told myself; _you are excited, not sad! Snap out of it! _

I turned the water of the shower to the coldest it could go and hopped in hoping the freezing water would drown out my memories. I gasped as it splashed down onto my skin, doing exactly what I needed it to.

I ran through the washing process as fast as possible to escape the harsh water. It took a total of about five minutes to finish my shower and dry off. Shivering back in my room, I went in and pulled out my favorite outfit. My worn blue jeans slipped on like a second skin, followed quickly by my white shirt, my red and white jacket, and to top it all off, my favorite red and white hat. The cloths looked a little thread bare, and a little dirty, but the clothing brought back so many memories from my 7 year long journey, both good and bad.

Checking quickly in the mirror to make sure I looked alright, I laughed at the state of my hair. I had given up years ago trying to tame the black mess that topped my head. It always had such a chaotic look to it. Somehow, I thought it kind of suited me though, so I just left it as it was.

I looked at my clock, surprised to see it was only 6 in the morning. The league chairman wasn't coming until 12, so I had a lot of time to kill. I decided that I might as well go and care for my Pokémon. I crept down the stairs and entered the main floor of my tiny childhood home. We only had two rooms in the house, my bedroom upstairs, and our salon/kitchen/dining room downstairs. Mom was still asleep on her pull out couch and I didn't want to wake her, she was always working so hard.

Things had been hard for us after dad ran off. I didn't really remember him, since I was very young when he left, but mom said he was the kindest person she had ever met. To this day, she doesn't know where he went or what happened to him. I think she still blames herself for him leaving. Anyway, after he left, mom started falling behind on our rent on our home in Golden Rod. She was working her ass off in a small diner as a waitress, but it wasn't enough. We moved a year later after losing the house. Our Pallet town house was cheap, and mom was able to find some work, cleaning Professor Oak's lab and house.

Once I was able to travel, I sent as much of my prize money home as I could spare, I knew we were always on the line of dept. With my win at the league, the prize money I had gotten was enough for us to support ourselves for a while, so I knew I didn't need to worry that much anymore.

I successfully managed to get out of the house with waking her, and I silently closed the door behind me. Since our house was so small, I was keeping all of my Pokémon at the Professor's lab. Pikachu had wanted to come with me, but I needed him there to keep peace between everyone. Every once and a while an argument would break out between them and Pikachu was the only one who could talk some sense into them. He was good at that, keeping peace. I knew I could always rely on him, no matter what.

I knocked on the door, hoping someone was up. I hadn't taken a jacket and it was colder outside than I expected. Dancing from one dew stained foot to the other, I waited patiently. Finally, one of his assistants opened the door. He looked exhausted, and I knew he had been up all night researching something.

"Oh, it's you, Red. Come on in, I'm guessing you are here to see your Pokémon." He yawned and opened the door further, walking in in front of me. I just nodded in response, and followed close behind. He didn't expect a verbal answer either; everyone knew I wasn't much of a talker. I used to be such a loud child, I always heard mom say. I guess my Pokémon journey had changed me more than she knew. At least, that was what I told her.

I walked right over to the container where the Professor held all the Pokémon he kept in his care. I knew the Oak estate like the back of my hand. Green and I used to spend countless days together, exploring every inch. That is, before we stopped talking. I shook my head again, clearing out the memories. I grabbed my five poke balls as soon as I spotted them on a nearby shelf. I knew Pikachu had to be around, since he hated going into his ball. He was probably still asleep. I searched until I located a small bed tucked into the corner. Curled in a tight ball in the center was Pikachu, sleeping peacefully. I almost debated leaving him, but I knew he would be mad if I did, so I gave him a quick nudge with my hand. He blinked his eyes open, looked around, and then locked onto my face.

"PIKAAAA!" He cried out, jumping onto my arm and running up to my shoulder where he nuzzled my face, sending small shocks of electricity into my body. Not enough to hurt me, just enough to make my legs go numb. I rubbed his head and headed out into the cold again.

The Pokémon food was stored in shed close to the forest. The Professor had set it up so that wild Pokémon could come in and grab a bite without having to worry about humans. Up the hill from the shed and the lab lay the sprawling Oak mansion. The Professor was paid pretty well for his efforts in the field.

As I approached the shed, I released each of my beloved Pokémon. One by one, out came Charizard, Snorlax, Poliwrath, and Espeon. I released Gyrados into the pond a little bit away from the others. They were all very excited to see me, I had forgotten to visit in a week or so, which was a very long time for the seven of us. Well, at least, five of them were excited. Snorlax had just fallen asleep again as soon as he was out of his poke ball, but I was used to the treatment.

I went into the shed to bring out each of their breakfasts, Pikachu still perched on my shoulder. Each of them had a specific food that I made, just to fit their tastes. A friend of mine, a gym leader that went by the name of Brock had taught me some of his recipes while I stopped to visit him and is family a while back. I think everyone really loved the food I gave them.

Pouring out their correct portions (Snorlax's being two full bags); I put the food in front of them and smiled as they chowed down. Being with my Pokémon always made me perk up a bit. They were the closest friends I had, and some of the few creatures I felt comfortable talking to.

I looked up the hill at the mansion, remembering my long ago friend, the one who had been closer to me than even Pikachu. I sighed, no matter how hard I tried; I couldn't stop thinking about him today. I really wish he would leave my thoughts. He was always there, in the back of my brain. His taunting, his teasing, and that empty feeling I had developed ever since we stopped being friends never left me.

I looked back up at the house, trying to stop the flow of memories. To my surprise, I saw a person walking away from the house, heading in my direction. The light was directly behind them, turning them into a shadowy blob. My guess was it was probably Daisy, Green's older sister. She had stuck around and married a guy in town. She still helped her Grandfather with chores with the Pokémon. She often met me by the shed in the morning because we generally rose around the same time. We didn't talk much though, we just continued on what we were doing.

I turned my back to the figure, deciding that it must be Daisy, and I wasn't in the mood to even look at her at the moment. I had trouble talking to people all the time, but every so often this crushing pressure stops me from even acknowledging their existence. I just freeze.

I went and sat beside Pikachu who had just finished his meal. He crawled into my lap and tried to fall asleep again. The morning sun was finally warming the outside air, and I leaned back, letting the warmth soak into my skin.

"Uh, Hey" I heard behind me. The voice nearly stopped my heart. It wasn't Daisy; it was a man's voice, and one I knew too well. I turned my head to see him. He was standing awkwardly behind me, his hands in his pockets, his favorite purple shirt hanging loosely from his body. His head was down, staring at the ground instead of me, his long, shaggy brown hair falling down into his face. I gulped, my throat feeling dry, and nodded my head in response. I turned away from him again, unable to keep my eyes on him. His very presence made my heart beat faster out of, panic? Yeah, that must have been it.

"Is it ok if, if I sit here with you?" He asked. I nodded. He sat and stared out with me for a bit, not saying anything. The tension inside me was about to break. Why was he here? Why was he even talking to me? He hated me, he had made that clear. So why would he ever take time out of his busy schedule to visit with me? Why was he even in Pallet? I had heard he was doing some extra training off in another region or something.

He must have read my mind, for he said, "I was in Hoen for the past month you know? I was training like crazy, but, I don't know, must have gotten bored. I decided to come and give Gramps a visit before I head out again. I'm thinking of going further abroad this time. Maybe Sinnoh." His voice sounded calm, as if talking to me was the most natural thing in the world.

"Why are you talking to me?" I blurted out. I covered my mouth in embarrassment, my cheeks flaming. I realized how rude it was for me to say something like that. I hadn't meant to be rude; I hope I hadn't offended him too much.

To my surprised, he laughed. It started as a low chuckle, but grew louder and louder, until he finally got control of himself. "That's just like you to say Red; it's nice to see you're not different." He smiled and looked down. I was very confused.

"Truthfully, I thought I might as well try. I- I know we don't get along or anything, and I know that that was my fault, but I was hoping we could get over that." He kept his eyes on the ground, playing with a piece of grass between his fingers.

I was shocked to say the least. Why the hell was he reaching out? It didn't make any sense.

"I thought you hated me." Oh shit, I did not mean to say that out loud.

He kept his head down and said in a rush, "Well, I was just thinking we could put that behind us." He took a breath, and then slowed down to explain.

"While I was in Hoen, I thought a lot about our battle, and I decided that hate wasn't going to help me move forward. I put the past behind me, and I was hoping you might be able to do so as well?" His voice sounded so hopeful. It was true, it really did seem like he was changed. Normally, this far into a conversation, even one as awkward as this, his huge ego would have made a huge introduction.

I didn't respond. It was a lot to take in. This so out of character Green didn't even seem real. Was he saying that I should put behind those years of abuse that he put me through? Should I just forgive him for making my life so awful? No, I thought, I couldn't do that. Not ever. However, somewhere deep inside, I felt a part of my saying yes. It was small, but something about it almost drowned out the no's. I needed some time.

"I'm going to need a bit of time." I stated bluntly, and then walked away. I thought I heard him sigh behind me, but I decided it was just the wind. I don't know why I walked away. The situation had become too much I guess. I was always running away. As I walked back in the direction of the lab, I recalled all my Pokémon, except Pikachu, who had woken up and was now perched once more on my shoulder.

I let myself in at the lab, putting away my five poke balls. I let Pikachu stay with me, since I really needed his company for a bit. I was so confused by Green's approach this morning. I was so lost by the whole thing. It felt like my whole world had been torn apart.

I don't really remember when, but a couple years before we started our Pokémon adventures, Green just stopped talking to me. At the time, he had been my only friend, and I quickly developed into the quiet person I was today. It just got worse when we left for our journeys. I caught up to him as he was leaving town, but he made sure I understood where I stood in the relationship. The names he had called me haunt me to this day. Every time I met up with him over our seven year long journey, the meetings became harsher and more aggressive. Our final meeting was right after he was crowned champion, a title I ripped out from under him moments later.

And now he wanted to be _friends_? Is that even possible? Just start up again like that? _ Might as well give it a try, _I thought. _ It's not like things could get worse. _

By the time I got back home, it was already 11. Mom was out, probably going to clean the lab or something. Plus, she knew the Chairman was coming to our house, and she agreed that I needed to be alone for that meeting.

I made myself a sandwich, which I shared half with Pikachu. He covered it in ketchup. I never understood his love of the sauce. We cleaned up, and I went upstairs to wash my face up a bit and brush my teeth. After I finished, I went down and sat on the window seat, watching as people came and went in front of the house. He would be arriving any minute.

Now, when I say the Chairman is an odd fellow, I really mean it. He came out of nowhere it seemed, until I noticed the helicopter flying away from the house. The short, bald and bearded fellow fixed his clothes up a bit, and then knocked on the door. I opened it quickly and smiled. He beamed back at me.

"Red my good fellow, how is championship treating you? Wonderful isn't it?" He was the kind of guy that always seemed to be on the edge of yelling all the time. He wasn't one to let you speak either, not that I wanted to.

"Now, I have a very important meeting to get to right after this, so I'll make this short and sweet. Red, my good fellow, I need you to move."

I stared at him. I was not expecting that. "What?" was all I managed to get out before he continued.

"Yes, yes I know. It's harsh. We have been keeping the press away from this town for your month of rest, but we can't hold them back any more. And therefore, we need to get you away. Fast. And to somewhere very remote." He explained, very loudly.

"Where?" I asked. He must know already.

"Where indeed my good fellow. A lovely mountain, you will love it. We will be dropping you off at the bottom of mount silver, you are to go up to the peak, or there about. Apparently there is a very comfy housing there only for champions. You are to stay there for a while too. Helps you harden up a bit. No one will be able to defeat you soon. And don't worry, we will tell your mother."

"Wait, we are leaving… now?" I was dumbfounded. I didn't want to go, but I knew I had to. There was no other possibility in the leagues eyes. This was a tradition, and they were tradition freaks.

"Well of course right now, come on" He grabbed my hand and steered me to the door.

"Don't I need to pack?" I asked.

"Everything is supplied for you, when you reach the top. Pikachu is coming of course as well. Your other Pokémon must remain here though. It would take too long to retrieve them, and there is no PC up there." He was strong for such a short person. Before I knew what had happened, I was in a helicopter and flying away from my sleepy little town. Off to some _mountain_ for no real reason.

The funny part was, I wasn't sorry to leave my Pokémon or my mother without even saying good bye. No, the reason I wanted to stay the most was to say good bye to Green. I guess we won't ever make up, not anymore. Who knows how long I'll be gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The drop off was basically as unceremonious as the pick-up. They pushed me out of the helicopter, the chairman yelling instructions as I struggled against his surprisingly strong shove.

"So remember, you are to have no contact with any family or friends. If challengers approach, you defeat them and return to your training. They may not stay with you. You may not take on apprentices, and don't come down until we have contacted you."

"When?" I asked, finally falling into the cold snow, Pikachu tumbling out after me.

"Oh, who knows, could be a day, could be a couple decades. Just until the press settles down a bit. Have a nice stay, and remember to give us a buzz when you reach your residence!" The helicopter took off and vanished into the distance, leaving me and Pikachu alone in the snow.

I sighed as I looked up the mountain. We had been dropped off about half way up, meaning we had the more difficult part to climb. This wasn't going to be fun.

Pikachu picked himself up and shook his tail, trying to dislodge the snow. I could already see him trembling, and the goose bumps on my arms were coming up fast. I had always been less sensitive to extreme temperature changes, but being on a mountain in a tee-shirt was a lot, even for me. The faster we get there, the faster I can get out of the cold I guess.

Pikachu climbed onto my shoulder, his preferred resting place. It would also protect him from the snow that seemed to clump in his fur very easily. With him in place, we set out. There was nothing else I could do. I had to brave the mountain, for the alternative would be much worse.

You see, the pokemon league isn't only responsible for the pokemon league. In fact, they were the most powerful corporation in the world. They had their hands in the police force, the health care, the government. Anything that involved pokemon, and that means everything. I would be found out very quickly if I disobeyed. Going into any town, or within 100 miles of a town, would have me captured in minutes.

I have always wondered what they do with the people who disobey the league, and truthfully, I have no idea. We just know that once the rogues are captured, you never see them again. Rumors have gone around that they do tests on them, or kill them, or torture them, or feed them to pokemon or something. Personally, I think that's bullshit. They probably just have a jail somewhere on an island. Either way though, I don't want to find out. Hopefully, I'll be off the mountain soon enough anyway.

The snow was getting deeper, and I started seeing very few trees. The small ones that I did see I can't even really consider them as trees, more like spiky shrubs. The wind was vicious, tearing at my bare skin and making my nose and fingers completely numb. Why couldn't I take a coat with me anyway? They said it was to, 'make me stronger' but that is bull shit. I'm probably going to die on this mountain.

I bit the inside of my cheek hard. Thinking like that wasn't going to get me anywhere. I had been in worse situations and gotten through. Plus, I needed to protect Pikachu. He would do the same for me, and right now, I was his only hope.

Pikachu hated me when I first got him. He had been running rampant in some town, screwing with all their wiring. I caught him to help the townsfolk, not to be my friend.

His adjustment to the team took a while. He would always hurt the other pokemon, and myself, and anyone that approached. He finally learned to trust me when he ran away and got attacked by a stampede of Ryhorn. I saved him, but was hurt in the process. Ever since then, we have trusted each other with our lives. He even stands up for me when I can't. Whenever we met up with Green, I always became more sullen and withdrawn than with other people. His words hurt more than most peoples, and I never figured out why. They were the same words, but from his mouth, they hurt like arrows through my heart.

Anyway, Pikachu knew when those times arose, and he always gave me exactly what I needed to get out of the funk. Normally, that consisted of a high voltage shock, delivered to me, or Green.

Oh Green, I'll never understand what drove him to think of me as such a disappointment. It was like one day, he was promising to be with me forever, and the next he couldn't look at me without that stupid smirk of hate. I hated that smirk. It always made my insides jump, it made me doubt myself and hate myself because he wouldn't ever like me. He would never look at me like an equal.

I stopped walking and took a deep breathe. I had to let it go. I know that he isn't trust worthy. In fact, nobody was. They would all abandon you at your most vulnerable time, even your own mother. No, no one could be trusted, except pokemon. They never left, and they always understand how you feel. If I had only my pokemon to rely on, I would be ok.

I rubbed pikachus head. It was very cold, and I could tell the thin air was making him slightly dizzy. My poor friend seemed on the brink of consciousness as the air and cold took hold of his body. Thankfully, we had made some great progress. It couldn't be that much further.

After an hour of walking, I found the first rock cliff I would have to get up. The hand holds looked plentiful, and it proved easy to climb. However, at the top, I was faced with another, this one being much more advanced.

I started up, Pikachu tucked inside my jacket so he wouldn't fall. The first few feet were easy, but it got difficult fast. I reached my hand out as far as it would go to grasp the next hold. It was so close to making it. I wriggled my fingers trying to get closer when suddenly, I felt one of my legs slip off the cliff. The foot hold had been icy and I couldn't get my foot back on.

My body swung out, banging against the rock face as I tried to regain my composure. I was ok, I just had to pull myself up. I turned my body around carefully so I was once again facing the cliff. I reach my hand out, and luckily, it made it. I pulled myself up and out of harm. Pikachu hadn't stirred at all, even though he was resting over my heart that was beating as loud as a drum. I knew to look out for the ice from now on.

After finally finishing the rock cliff, I sat down for a second in the snow, letting it take care of my aching muscles with its cool numbness. Pikachu was still shivering, but I was not. In fact, aside from the dull ache of over used muscles, I could barely feel my body at all. My fingers had turned a greyish colour, and I was pretty sure that wasn't healthy. I needed to find that shelter, and soon.

The peak didn't look very far away anymore, and hour or two at most. If I picked up the pace, I could be there by night fall.

I got up to continue forward, but as soon as I did, I was stopped as a hulking figure started appearing slowly in front of me. The creature was huge, and covered in snow. I reached to find my pokedex, but it wasn't in my pocket. I must have left it at home. I swore under my breath. Of all the days I had to be unprepared, it was today.

The pokemon was on I had never seen in Kanto or Johto before. It was mostly white, with hints of green. It had a lot of frost incrusted hair that covered everything except its eyes.

I felt Pikachu stir against my chest. He was in no state to battle; we wouldn't stand a chance against a pokemon like this in the state we were in. I would have to run. The beast bellowed in front of me and started to charge. I ran away, fighting through the strong wind, as the pokemon turned for another charge. I ran as fast as I could up the mountain, listening to the bellows of the pokemon behind me. They started to get quieter as I started to run out of breath. Finally, I was forced to stop. The thin air was to light for me to run any longer. I sunk to the snow in exhaustion. We must have ran out of the pokemon's territory, that is the only explanation I could think of that might explain why it stopped it's pursuit.

I looked in my think jacket to take in Pikachu's state. It was barely moving, and when I touched my hand to its electric sacks, I felt no tingle. Pikachu was almost finished. I didn't even have its pokeball with me!

I hurried on, hoping I could find some sort of cave where we could rest for the night. However, the snow that swirled endlessly in front of my eyes blocked much view of anything. I had lost sight of the peak in my mad dash away from the Pokemon. I squinted, thinking I might have seen a shadow close by. I continued walking towards the faint outline, and walked right into a wall.

I shook my head to clear it and then looked closer. The wall had been packed with snow, disguising it completely. However, as far as I could tell, the snow was not natural. It was far too tightly packed for that. And if I looked close enough, I was pretty sure I saw hand prints from where people had put snow on. Using my hand as a guide, I followed the cliff face around.

Finally, I saw it. Our salvation. The darkness of the cave entrance stood out in the white wasteland. I ran inside, grateful to be out of the wind. Inside, I was surprised to find supplies. This must have been the cave they had meant for me to stay in. We had made it!

I collected some wood and lit a fire with the provided matches. I lay Pikachu close by the fire hoping he would thaw quickly in its comforting glow. Once I had done all I could to ensure Pikachu was warming up, I looked over my own condition. My fingers were a purple gray, but they still had the slightest amount of feeling in them. My toes on the other hand, had fared much worse. I could tell by the black flesh around one of the toes, and it's lack of feeling completely that it had died. I would have to take it off before the flesh had a chance to rot. What a treat that would be.

I rooted around in some of the draws of supplies that lined the cave walls until I found what I was looking for. Wire cutters. I went back by my fire.

"Welcome to your new home, Red." I whispered to myself as I lined the tool onto my toe. "It'll be so comfortable and homey soon. A couch here, a missing toe there, looking forward to it." I took a breath in, and squeezed my hand together. My grunt of pain echoed through the cave as my toe fell to the floor.


End file.
